Hybrid cantaloupe plant bronco

Abstract

A novel hybrid cantaloupe plant, designated BRONCO is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of cantaloupe hybrid BRONCO, to the plants and plant parts of hybrid cantaloupe BRONCO, and to methods for producing a cantaloupe plant by crossing the hybrid cantaloupe BRONCO with itself or another cantaloupe plant. The invention further relates to methods for producing a cantaloupe plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic plants produced by that method and to methods for producing other cantaloupe plants derived from the hybrid cantaloupe plant BRONCO.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A seed of hybrid cantaloupe designated BRONCO, wherein a representative sample of seed of said hybrid was deposited under NCIMB No. 42565. 
     
     
       2. A cantaloupe plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed of  claim 1 . 
     
     
       3. The cantaloupe part of  claim 2 , wherein the cantaloupe part is selected from the group consisting of: a leaf, a flower, a fruit, an ovule, pollen, a cell a rootstock, and a scion. 
     
     
       4. A cantaloupe plant, or a part thereof, having all of the characteristics of hybrid BRONCO listed in Table  1 . 
     
     
       5. A cantaloupe plant, or a part thereof, having all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybrid BRONCO, wherein a representative sample of seed of said hybrid was deposited under NCIMB No. 42565. 
     
     
       6. A tissue culture of regenerable cells produced from the plant or plant part of  claim 2 , wherein cells of the tissue culture are produced from a plant part selected from the group consisting of protoplasts, embryos, meristematic cells, callus, pollen, ovules, flowers, seeds, leaves, roots, root tips, anthers, stems, petioles, fruits, cotyledons and hypocotyls. 
     
     
       7. A protoplast produced from the tissue culture of  claim 6 . 
     
     
       8. A cantaloupe plant regenerated from the tissue culture of  claim 6 , said plant having the characteristics of hybrid BRONCO, wherein a representative sample of seed of said hybrid was deposited under NCIMB No. 42565. 
     
     
       9. A cantaloupe fruit produced from the plant of  claim 2 . 
     
     
       10. A method for producing a cantaloupe fruit comprising a) growing the cantaloupe plant of  claim 2  to produce a cantaloupe fruit, and b) harvesting said cantaloupe fruit. 
     
     
       11. A cantaloupe fruit produced by the method of  claim 10 . 
     
     
       12. A method for producing a cantaloupe seed comprising crossing a first parent cantaloupe plant with a second parent cantaloupe plant and harvesting the resultant cantaloupe seed, wherein said first parent cantaloupe plant and/or second parent cantaloupe plant is the cantaloupe plant of  claim 2 . 
     
     
       13. A method for producing a cantaloupe seed comprising self-pollinating the cantaloupe plant of  claim 2  and harvesting the resultant cantaloupe seed. 
     
     
       14. A method of vegetatively propagating the cantaloupe plant of  claim 2 , said method comprising a) collecting part of a plant of  claim 2  and b) regenerating a plant from said part. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14  further comprising harvesting a fruit from said plant. 
     
     
       16. The plant obtained from the method of  claim 14 . 
     
     
       17. The fruit obtained from the method of  claim 15 . 
     
     
       18. A method of producing a cantaloupe plant derived from the hybrid variety BRONCO, the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) self-pollinating the plant of  claim 2  at least once to produce a progeny plant; 
 (b) crossing the progeny plant of step (a) with itself or a second cantaloupe plant to produce a seed; 
 (c) growing a progeny plant of a subsequent generation from the seed produced in step (b) and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself or a second cantaloupe plant to produce a cantaloupe plant derived from the hybrid cantaloupe variety BRONCO. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18  further comprising the step of:
 (d) repeating steps b) or c) for at least  1  more generation to produce a cantaloupe plant derived from the hybrid cantaloupe variety BRONCO. 
 
     
     
       20. A method of producing a cantaloupe plant derived from the hybrid variety BRONCO, the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) crossing the plant of  claim 2  with a second cantaloupe plant to produce a progeny plant; 
 (b) crossing the progeny plant of step (a) with itself or a second cantaloupe plant to produce a seed; 
 (c) growing a progeny plant of a subsequent generation from the seed produced in step (b) ; 
 (d) crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generation of step (c) with itself or a second cantaloupe plant to produce a cantaloupe plant derived from the hybrid cantaloupe variety BRONCO. 
 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 20  further comprising the step of:
 (d) repeating step b) or c) for at least 1 more generation to produce a cantaloupe plant derived from the hybrid cantaloupe variety BRONCO. 
 
     
     
       22. A method for producing a transgenic cantaloupe plant, the method comprising crossing a first cantaloupe plant of  claim 2  with a second cantaloupe plant containing a transgene, wherein the transgene of said second cantaloupe plant is integrated into the genome of the cantaloupe plant progeny resulting from said cross, and wherein the transgene confers said cantaloupe plant progeny with at least one trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, male fertility, herbicide resistance, insect resistance, disease resistance, increased sweetness, increased sugar content, increased flavor, improved ripening control, and improved salt tolerance. 
     
     
       23. A method for producing a transgenic cantaloupe plant, the method comprising transforming at least one transgene into a hybrid cantaloupe BRONCO plant, or a plant part or a plant cell thereof or parental line used for producing the hybrid cantaloupe plant BRONCO, a sample seed of said hybrid having been deposited under NCIMB Accession No. 42565, thereby producing a transgenic cantaloupe plant. 
     
     
       24. A plant produced by the method of  claim 23 . 
     
     
       25. The plant of  claim 2 , wherein said plant further comprises a transgene. 
     
     
       26. The plant of  claim 25  wherein the transgene confers said plant with a trait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, male fertility, herbicide resistance, insect resistance, disease resistance, increased sweetness, increased sugar content, increased flavor, improved ripening control, and improved salt tolerance.